Many of you will remember Nestory as the boy who helped Gary build the “patio” brick entries to our home at Idigima Secondary School and got to tell Gary, “I told you so!” when his prediction of the rainy season flooding our home came true in spades. (Creating jobs for students to earn money for their living expenses is a big part of our ministry here.)
We’ve watched Nestory suffer and grow too weak to do manual labor, so suggested he earn some money by writing an article for us and you. We were hoping he would tell of his life in the village, growing up in a home where his father has two wives, at least 14 children and is ailing.
Because his father cannot work to support the family, the mothers are responsible for their respective children. As the oldest, Nestory is expected to make his own way and has chosen to attend school rather than follow in the family’s poverty cycle. His younger sister is also a student at Idigima, and together they earn what they can and share resources.
Nestory chose a different approach for sharing his story. I thought of doing major editing to clean up his broken English, but perhaps the Lord will reach your heart with his story just as it is.
(Editor's note: Nestory's story was forwarded, unedited, as typewritten words in an e-mail. It is unknown if Nestory typed the article himself, dictated as it was typed, or written on paper and later typed out by Gary or Joanne. Assuming the latter, while maintaining it as unedited, for visual impact I took the liberty to change the font to simulate handwritten words and to display it on tablet paper images to better replicate what Nestory's original article may have looked like.)
Today, Nestory is on a special, high-protein (no meat) diet as well as medication. He has few “good” days, but some are better than others. He did complete his Form Two National Exams and graduated into Form Three. He told us that he was mostly resting in the evenings of exam week in order to have the strength to attend school; he felt his preparation was not good at all. You will praise God with him and us to hear that the Lord was gracious to reward Nestory’s devotion; he placed 6th in his class for top averages across all nine subjects. During the Mid-Term Exams this March, he had the top Bible Knowledge score of all Form Three students.
Recently, an older student, Kenneth, has come to Idigima with a call from God to start a deliverance ministry. The reputation of this region had reached his home in Morogoro. He is conducting weekly prayer vigils on Saturdays that will last six to eight hours. Nestory was in our home after the service this past week to tell us he’d had a fever since Tuesday and was vomiting. Kenneth happened to stop to greet us and we introduced them. Kenneth shook Nestory’s hand and said, “The Holy Spirit is telling me that there is a demon of death living in your stomach.” He took him to another room, shut the door, and began praying for deliverance. We heard a commotion, and Kenneth came out, shut the door behind him, and said, “Leave him alone; the Holy Spirit is operating on him to give him a new stomach.” Peeking in on him after awhile, Nestory was unconscious on the floor. He came out later in a daze and wandered up to the school, where the service was still going on.
At church on Sunday, Nestory looked much stronger and happier than we’ve seen him in a very long time. He called the students together afterwards and announced that he was going to start a weekly Bible study. Gary walked him home and they had lunch together, talking about school, the planned study, and his health. When the subject of Saturday’s deliverance service came up, Nestory drew a blank; he does not remember being at our home or meeting Kenneth.
At the same time, Joanne was walking home with a girl who rents a room from a man who collects and provides “supplies” for witch doctors. The man has four wives and the home is very disruptive, as you cannot possibly imagine. Our student, Sainala, is asked by this man to help make deliveries, which she has refused to do. Joanne urged her to find a new place to live, and when it was discovered that Sainala is best friends with one of our helpers, Joanne urged that girl, Helena, to assist her in this matter.
From what we’ve been exposed to, spiritual warfare is quite different here than in America; Satan’s tactics and activities are closer to what you would read in the New Testament. Pray for these students, please. As you can see from Nestory’s story, their lives are full of suffering and need, and yet they endure with a ready smile and willing heart.
Your Hands & Feet in Tanzania,
Gary & Joanne
Amazing!
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